Notorious gun-grabber Sen. Charles Schumer is exploiting the publicity surrounding the Trayvon Martin case to call for the feds to outlaw “Stand Your Ground” self-defense laws around the country. Schumer is an influential Democrat who serves on the Senate Judiciary Committee.

Schumer wants to the Justice Department to expand an investigation into the controversial law. More than thirty states have some form of the Castle Doctrine or the Stand Your Ground law on the books. The Castle Doctrine has its roots in English common law under the dictum that “an Englishman’s home is his castle” and the belief that deadly force may be used when a home is invaded.

“I am sending a letter to the Justice Department to ask them to expand their investigation into the general application of these ‘stand your ground’ laws, whether they actually increase, rather than decrease, violence, and whether they actually prevent law enforcement from prosecuting cases where a real crime has been committed,” Schumer said on Monday.

“Given your duty to protect the public, your unique nationwide jurisdiction to conduct an investigation, and your authority to allocate federal resources to state and local law enforcement, I believe that you are warranted and justified in conducting an investigation as to whether these ‘stand your ground laws’ are contributing to excessive uses of force and decreased prosecutions for killings throughout the United States. I therefore urge you to commence such an investigation at the earliest possible instance,” Schumer added.

Along with New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg and Representative Carolyn McCarthy, Charles Schumer is at the forefront of an effort to roll back the Second Amendment and deny citizens the right to defend themselves. He has attempted to enforce gun laws by linking the exercise of the Second Amendment to terrorism and has pushed consistently for outlawing “assault weapons.” Schumer has also worked to close down the so-called “Gun Show Loophole” that allows sales of firearms without asking permission from the Attorney General and the federal government.

Florida, where Martin was killed after he allegedly attacked Neighborhood Watch captain George Zimmerman, has refused to shut down its Stand Your Ground law. Gov. Rick Scott has remained mostly silent on the matter and the Florida Legislature’s Senate President Mike Haridopolous rejected the formation of a special committee to review the law.